


Rise from the ashes of what we once were

by JenJo



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sam is injured, but not for long, but we're heading that way, not quite lovers by the end, nursed back to health, the title is not a reflection of the fic, the title makes this sound epic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 23:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10751589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenJo/pseuds/JenJo
Summary: “Just you wait.”“What are we waiting for?”Clint opened his mouth to reply, when he saw something over Bucky’s shoulder, arm waving.Bucky turned around, seeing Natasha and… and…And the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.





	Rise from the ashes of what we once were

**Author's Note:**

> This started off with a random number generator giving me three numbers:  
> 6- Bucky/Sam  
> 6-Fantasy  
> 16- nursed back to health  
> I posted it on tumblr.  
> Then it tripled in size.

_ “You should come out with us. You never know who you’ll meet.” _

_ Bucky had given Clint an unamused look. “In a human bar?” _

_ Clint had frowned right back at Bucky. “What’s wrong with humans?” _

_ “Nothing,” Bucky shrugged, before sighing. “You think it’ll be alright?” _

_ Clint smiled, clapping Bucky on the (right) shoulder. “It’ll be  _ great _.” _

 

“ _ Great _ ”  _ Barton had said. Great is  _ not  _ the word that I’d use, Barton.  _

It was seven twenty on a Wednesday, and Bucky was sitting at a table, eyes constantly scanning the room. Clint was sitting across from him, bobbing his head to a soundtrack only he could hear. 

Clint caught Bucky’s eyes, smiling at him. “Just you wait.”

“What are we waiting for?”

Clint opened his mouth to reply, when he saw something over Bucky’s shoulder, arm waving. 

Bucky turned around, seeing Natasha and… and…

_ And the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. _

Bucky quickly looked back at Clint, who was smiling wide. Clint stood up to hug Natasha, and the other man. 

“Sit down, sit down. I’ll go and get drinks. Talk amongst yourselves.”

Bucky watched Clint walk away, before turning to Natasha. “What is he up to?”

Natasha shrugged her shoulders, before standing up. “I’ll go find out; Bucky, this is Sam.”

Bucky frowned at her, watching her walk over to Clint. He turned to Sam, who was looking at him with an amused expression. 

“I think we’re being set up, Bucky.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

Sam nodded. “Yup. So how do you know Nat?”

“We worked together once upon a time.”  _ Under water, not that  _ you  _ need to know that.  _

Sam nodded again. “I work with her now, funnily enough.”

“Hilarious.”

Sam frowned at Bucky. “There something wrong?”

Bucky shrugged his shoulders, looking down at his drink. 

He could practically  _ feel  _ Sam roll his eyes. “Awesome chat.”

Clint and Natasha came back to the table, holding drinks. Clint sat down, smiling between the two. “So?”

Bucky glared at Clint from under his eyebrows, before standing up and walking out of the bar. 

Was it appropriate? Maybe not. But Bucky wasn’t much in the mood for being set up on a date.

_ Especially not with someone so… so… _

Bucky couldn’t quite figure out  _ what  _ it was about Sam that was rubbing him the wrong way, but there was something. 

Clint caught up with him before Bucky had reached the corner of the street, easily falling into step.

“Sorry about that,” Clint muttered, looking straight ahead.

Bucky shrugged, rubbing his head. “It’s not a problem, Clint. Just something…  _ off  _ about him.”

“Those famous Barnes senses?”

Bucky nodded. “Yes. You know how many times those senses have saved us.”

“I know, I know,” Clint rubbed at his chin, before throwing his arm over Bucky’s shoulders. “X box sound good?”

“Suppose.”

“Just look at it this way; you’ll  _ never  _ have to see Sam again.”

“Guess not.”

And that was how Bucky first met Sam, in a human bar on a Wednesday night.

 

* * *

 

 

The problem was, that Clint was wrong. Bucky spent the next week doing  _ nothing but  _ seeing Sam.

Groceries?  _ He’s buying  _ celery _ ; why is he buying celery from my grocery store? _

Walking around the park?  _ Why is he running so fast? What’s his hurry? _

Watching the sunset from the clifftop?  _ Why on earth is Sam here? _

It was five forty two on a Saturday, and Bucky was doing what he did every Saturday. Bucky watched the sunrise here to get  _ away  _ from the world for a while, to remind himself of what he  _ used  _ to be.

He stood up, and walked ( _ not stormed, who thinks I stormed over? _ ) over to Sam, who was leaning against the observation railing.

“Stop following me.”

Sam was startled by Bucky’s presence, turning to face him. In the process, he stood up to his full height, which was eye level with Bucky.

“Excuse me?”

“You,” Bucky pointed at Sam. “Are following  _ me _ ,” Bucky pointed at himself. “Stop.”

Sam frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Think you’re confused.  _ You’re  _ clearly the one following  _ me _ .”

Bucky crossed his arm over his chest, mirroring Sam. “Well one of us is wrong.”

Sam stared Bucky down, before his eyes widened. “We’re both wrong.”

“What?”

Sam dropped his arm, gesturing between them. “Coincidence.”

Bucky dropped his arm, but was still on guard. “So you’re  _ not  _ following me?”

Sam shook his head. “And you’re not following me.”

“So we just come across each other…  _ randomly _ ?”

Sam nodded. “Looks that way. Some might say it’s fate.”

_ Fate is a shit,  _ Bucky thought, having had more than enough dealings with  _ fate  _ to last a lifetime. Keeping his expression neutral, he responded to Sam. “Fate is rarely kind.”

“Sounds like you’ve got some experience there.”

“As much as any other human,” Bucky shrugged.

Sam gave him a considering look, before pointing to the sunset. “Want to join me?”

“In doing what I was doing before?” Bucky raised an eyebrow, pointing over his shoulder. “Over there, alone?”

Sam rolled his eyes, turning back to watch the sunset. “You should join me, the view’s better from here.”

Bucky kicked at the grass for a bit before he went over to lean against the railing beside Sam. 

He waited for a moment, before turning to frown at Sam. “It’s  _ exactly  _ the same.”

Sam shook his head, not taking his eyes off of the sunset. “Nah, it’s better from here. Trust me.”

Oddly enough, something inside of Bucky told him that he could trust Sam. Which was  _ weird;  _ Bucky didn’t trust anyone so easily. 

_ What does it mean? _

_ Relax Barnes, just watch the sunset. Deal with it in the morning. _

And that was how Bucky had his first  _ real  _ conversation with Sam, on a clifftop, on a Saturday evening. 

 

* * *

 

 

It was six thirty on a Sunday, but the morning brought no more answers. 

They kept meeting, in seemingly innocuous locations. Parks, cafes, bars, libraries- there didn’t seem to be anywhere where they  _ didn’t  _ meet.

(Except where Bucky spent three nights a week; but why would he see Sam at a medical centre for the  _ Fantastical _ ?)

They kept meeting, and slowly but surely, Bucky came to trust Sam completely. Bucky, to his shock, was actually referring to Sam as his friend. 

_ “What did you do last night?”  _ People would ask him.

He’d get a smile on his face.  _ “I was out with a friend.” _

Clint had asked him one night, “ _ What’s got you smiling so much? _ ”

Bucky had frowned at him. “ _ Nothing _ .”

“ _ Nothing _ ,” Clint had rolled his eyes, poking Steve in the shoulder. “ _ Can you believe this guy Steve? Smiling like nobody’s business, and says it’s  _ nothing _.” _

Steve rolled his eyes fondly, batting Clint’s hand away. “ _ Leave him along Clint. I’m sure Bucky will tell us when he wants to _ .”

Bucky had given Steve a thankful smile.

And that was how Bucky realised that he might be friends with Sam. 

 

* * *

 

It was three thirty on a Tuesday, and Bucky was waiting outside of the theatre for Sam. They had starting  _ arranging  _ to meet, instead of leaving it up to fate. They’d become friends quickly, once Bucky had decided to take a chance on the human who had stolen his heart.

_ First though, friends,  _ Bucky thought as Sam came walking up the street, smile wide and wearing the most  _ perfect  _ outfit Bucky had ever seen him wear. 

“Hey, sorry I’m late, the train ran slow,” Sam said, putting an arm around Bucky in greeting.

Bucky waved it off, beginning to walk with Sam inside. “Nah, not a problem. Gotta hate those trains.”

“The worst,” Sam agreed. “So, you buy the tickets?”

Bucky pulled his hand out of his pocket, showing two tickets to the movie. 

Sam, who hadn’t let go of Bucky, tightened his hold momentarily. “Awesome. I’ve heard good things about this film.”

“Me too,” Bucky muttered as he showed the tickets to the attendant.

“Enjoy the film,” he waved them through with a knowing smile. Bucky waved it off, not thinking about it.

Once they got to their seats, Sam took his arm off of Bucky, moving so that he was sitting on Bucky’s right. Bucky didn’t think much of it, until Sam moved his hand to Bucky’s.

_ He moved so that he could hold your hand. _

Bucky smiled, not letting go of Sam’s hand for the entire movie. For his part, neither did Sam.

And that was how Bucky and Sam held hands for the first time, on a Tuesday in a movie theatre.

 

* * *

 

It was nine forty on a Monday, and Bucky was sitting with Steve, enjoying their weekly brunch together. Despite sharing an apartment, their conflicting schedules meant they rarely shared meals; Monday brunch was one guaranteed meal together a week.

“So…” Steve said, trailing off with a smile.

Bucky raised his eyebrows at Steve. “So?”

Steve rolled his eyes, before pointing at Bucky. “Who is causing that smile on your face?”

Bucky bit his lip, hoping to hide his smile. Of course, he and Steve have known each other  _ forever _ ; there was no hiding.

Steve leant forward, more invested now. “So there  _ is  _ someone? Do I know them?”

Bucky nodded, raising his hand when Steve opened his mouth. “Before you ask, we haven’t labelled it. Haven’t even talked about it, to be honest. So I’m not going to tell you who; all you need to know, is that he makes me smile.”

“That he does,” Steve agreed, sitting back in his chair and taking a bite of his muffin. “That he does. How long, may I ask?”

“You may,” Bucky conceded, before considering the question.

_ Natasha and Clint had done their thing… two months ago? And there was that week before we became friends…. So… _

“Just under two months,” Bucky stated.

“How exciting.”

Bucky smiled at Steve. “It is.”

And that was how Bucky realised just how  _ important  _ Sam was to him, on a Monday morning over brunch.

 

* * *

 

It was two thirty am on a Thursday morning, and Bucky was where he was every week at this time, the Fourth and Second Medical Sanctuary. 

Volunteering in a medical centre for the Fantastical World was always an adventure. Bucky saw more in an evening than he did in a week in the outside world.

He volunteered in return for his own treatment; despite reassurances that he owed the place nothing, he felt a need to stay.

_ Besides, it’s not as though I’m doing anything else with my life. _

He looked up when the door opened, and his eyes went wide.

“Sam?”

Bucky had met Sam in a human bar a couple of months ago. The two had quickly built up a rapport; their senses of humour matched perfectly, and they were able to talk in a way Bucky hadn’t been able to in some time.

All that time, Bucky had assumed that Sam was a human. 

Now, seeing Sam standing inside the foyer, one wing bent at an unnatural angle, and every breath looking like a struggle, Bucky couldn’t find it in him to be upset.

“Bucky?” Sam frowned, before almost collapsing. Bucky was there in an instant, coming to Sam’s side and helping him to an examination room. “What… here?”

Bucky held out a potion designed to relieve pain, helping Sam to drink it. “I volunteer here when I can. I put quite the drain on their resources once upon a time.”

Sam, pain clearly dulling, looked at Bucky in confusion. “You’re human?”

Bucky smiled, helping Sam to roll over so that Bucky could look at the wing. “I’m not quite human Sam.”

“I feel like I’m at a disadvantage,” Sam said, wincing when Bucky touched the wing.

“Sorry,” Bucky said, moving to massage Sam’s back. “I’m… I  _ was  _ a mer.”

“Was?”

“Complicated,” was all Bucky said, continuing to massage Sam’s back. “I can’t help with the wing, I’m sorry. I can give you medicine to relieve the pain, but I’ll have to call in an actual doctor to help you fix it.”

Sam shook his head. “It’ll fix itself in an hour or so. I would’ve gone home, but… it’s too far, when I can’t hide. Help me up?”

Bucky helped Sam to sit up, watching the pain shoot across his face, before it disappeared. “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Hey, I think you’re entitled to ask, considering you’re my boyfriend.”

Bucky felt his eyes widened at the term. Sam’s shoulders fell in response.

“Have I been reading this wrong?”

Bucky very quickly shook his head. “No! It’s just, it’s been so long since I’ve ever had someone to call my boyfriend, it shocked me.”

Sam nodded, shoulders relaxing. “I get that; it was strange for me too. But as I was saying, I was walking home from work, when I was attacked from behind. No idea who did it, but they knew what they were doing. Two hits, and I felt the bone snap.”

“And you say it’ll heal by itself?”

Sam nodded, rolling his shoulder. “Benefit of my genes. So, mer?”

“So, Angel?”

Sam laughed, shaking his head. “Oh no, I’m not an angel. The wings are phoenix wings. Hence the self healing.”

“I didn’t know phoenix existed anymore.”

“We keep to ourselves,” Sam gestured to his wings. “Plus, they’re not really orange. So we pass for Angels most of the time.”

“Sounds like a sad life.”

Sam shook his head, reaching out for Bucky’s hand. “Not at all, when I get to spend it with someone like you.”

Bucky stepped forward, taking Sam’s hand. “This isn’t the medication talking, is it?”

Sam shook his head, pulling Bucky closer. “Not a chance. Though I’ll be happy to confirm it for you in the morning. When do you finish?”

Bucky looked at his watch. “Couple of hours. You’re welcome to stay here with me.”

Sam jumped off of the couch, only wincing slightly as he fell forwards into Bucky’s arms. He smiled at Bucky, leaning forward to kiss Bucky. “Sounds like a great plan.”

And that was how Bucky shared his first kiss with Sam in a medical facility at three am on a Thursday morning.

 

* * *

 

It was ten twenty on a Friday morning, and Bucky was sitting in Sam’s apartment. 

Sam hadn’t lied the night before; his wing  _ did  _  heal, looking as strong as it could. Not that Bucky had seen many Phoenix wings, so he was by no means an expert. 

_ They look pretty perfect to me. _

Sam handed over a cup of coffee, sitting beside Bucky on the couch. He smiled at Bucky, a smile that hadn’t fallen for the past six hours. 

“So, I imagine our lives just became a bit stranger.”

Bucky shook his head, blowing a stray strand of hair out of his eye. “Hardly. We’re still  _ us _ , right?”

Sam nodded, putting his free hand on Bucky’s shoulder, squeezing it. “ _ Us  _ has a nice ring to it, I must admit.”

Bucky turned to look at the hand on his shoulder, bending to kiss it. “We probably have a million things we need to discuss.”

“Probably,” Sam agreed, moving his hand to stroke lightly at Bucky’s neck. “But I think I’ve had enough excitement for one night, and you were up all night working. What would you say to leaving the talking until we’ve both had some sleep.”

“Makes sense,” Bucky said, putting his cup on the table and standing up, Sam’s hand falling to his side. “I’ll be going.”

Sam frowned, putting down his own cup and reaching up to hold Bucky’s hand. “You don’t have to go.” At Bucky’s frown, Sam nodded to the couch. “I have a perfectly good apartment right here, my roommate will be out all day. And honestly? I’d feel better if you stayed.”

Bucky sat back down, not letting go of Sam’s hand. “Sleep?”

“Just sleep,” Sam said. “We can stay here if you like.”

Bucky nodded. “The couch is good.”

“Yeah, it is,” Sam agreed. “So, big spoon or little spoon?”

Bucky smiled at the question. “You got a preference?”

Sam nodded, standing up. “Yeah. Make yourself comfortable.”

Bucky laughed at Sam’s words, lying down on the couch on his left side, back to the back of the couch. Bucky patted the couch, and Sam lay down on his back, turning his head to smile at Bucky.

“I wish I wasn’t so tired, I’d probably have something smart to say.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow at Sam. “I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but you don’t say smart things when you’re  _ awake _ .”

Sam shook his head at Bucky. “Gee, it’s a wonder I like you.”

“But you do,” Bucky said, before leaning over to kiss Sam. “Night Sam.”

“Night Bucky.”

Bucky watched Sam close his eyes, before putting his arm over Sam’s stomach. Sam put an arm over Bucky’s, holding it close.

And that was how Bucky and Sam slept together for the first time on a Sunday morning. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :D


End file.
